Iran has awarded its first annual prize for human rights activism to the head of the Al-Nasr Children's Hospital in Gaza. The 30,000-euro prize was awarded for the first time on the sidelines of the Islamic Human Rights Ceremony in Tehran.

Mohammad Javad Larijani

The prize was awarded by Mohammad Javad Larijani, the Director of the Human Rights Headquarters of Iran's Judiciary, who announced that the prize will be awarded annually to top human rights activists.

He also criticized the Western approach to human rights, adding that there needs to be a "compilation of Islamic Human Rights." He referred to the situation in Gaza as a result of the Western approach to human rights.

The head of Iran's judiciary, Ayatollah Larijani, also attended the ceremony and said that the situation in Gaza is "a great test for those who make such claims to human rights", adding that "today the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has turned into a torn piece of paper in the hands of America and European countries."

According to UN reports, more than 1,800 people have been killed by Israeli attacks on Gaza and 1,300 are reportedly civilians.